Bound by Golden Strings
by liryla
Summary: Young Naruto accidentally falls into another world to escape the pain and unknowingly drags his father's spirit along for the ride. There they cross paths with a certain mahogany haired DigiDestined whose life turns upside down once more upon meeting them.


**Bound by Golden Strings**

_Daisuke Motomiya x Minato Namikaze_

_Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon or Naruto. Never have, never will._

**Summary:**

_Young Naruto accidentally falls into another world to escape the pain and unknowingly drags his father's spirit along for the ride. There they cross paths with a certain mahogany haired DigiDestined whose life turns upside down once more upon meeting them._

**Cap.01:**

**Holy Azulongmon…what the heck?!**

Minato gritted his teeth; his hands clenched so hard his nails would have broken the skin of his palm and causing him to bleed, had he still a body of his own. White hot anger consumed him as he had to watch his son of only four years old be beaten by the villagers and shinobi of Konoha that he had given his life to save. A life which he could have used to raise his little boy and shower him with all the love he so rightly deserved and craved but was denied of the basest human need by this prejudiced and ignorant village.

It made him sick with disgust that they even had the nerve as to declare that their villainous acts were done in his name and will; every time the furious blonde heard the sound of his name coming from those poor excuses of human beings he hated them a little more.

His heart bled at the sight of his son's small form rolled into a ball in a futile effort to shield him as tears ran down the child's dirtied cheeks while soft whimpers escaped his quivering lips.

If only his form were tangible he could intervene but as it was, the young father was left to watch his precious child's agony, helpless to do something, anything. And watch he did, never did Minato allow his darkened blue eyes to stray from the little boy, silently supporting and comforting his son even though he knew his presence went unheard and unseen.

The dead Yondaime felt dread pooling in the pit of his stomach as he noticed what the mob hadn't yet. Crimson chakra tainted with anger and hatred that he knew belonged to the demon fox was leaking from the boy's small battered form.

It was pooling around the child like blood from a wound and gathered at his small feet until it was enveloping the entire four-year-old's curled form.

The child's whimpers were long since silenced and the angry mob backed away from the boy fearfully as he slowly released his body of its protective curl and rouse to stand on all fours, much like an animal.

Once beautiful cerulean blue eyes were now painted an angry red and his pupils slit instead of round; the whisker marks adorning his cheeks had thickened and jagged, giving him a more feral appearance.

On top of his head the chakra formed two small foxlike ears while a single tail sprouted from behind him and swished from side to side in an agitated manner. Soft growling sounded from the back of his throat as he eyed the mob surrounding him.

Minato observed his son's tense posture which looked ready to pounce given the incentive and could feel the chakra being concentrated just under the surface waiting to be unleashed in what he was sure to be a devastating blast.

There was no way for the blonde ghost to describe the sheer amount of worry he felt would be choking him were he still in need to breath, as he didn't know how this was happening.

It shouldn't have been possible for the Kyuubi's chakra to leak from its prison just after four years of being sealed. The Shiki-Fuuin he had used should've been suppressing the fox' consciousness from gaining a state of awareness and preventing the contact between its malevolent chakra and that of his son's for at least another six to eight years.

Expecting an attack to be unleashed when the child's mouth opened and a red orb of pulsing chakra formed, he was surprised to see what happened instead.

A loud guttural roar sounded from the feral boy while at the same time the chakra orb crumbled into itself leading into a three pulsing wave of pure chakra, and though the power behind it caused the surrounding people to be pushed off of their feet and onto the ground there was no harmful effect from the chakra wave itself.

However the famed Yellow Flash wasn't even sparing a glance of concern towards the downed villagers – for all he cared they could have been obliterated, he wouldn't have gave a flying fuck – no, his full attention was on the growing rip in the fabric of the sky which should have been impossible.

Looking back at his son his eyes widened in alarm when he saw the boy jumping into the air and heading directly to what he could only assume to be a portal. He didn't know what it was exactly or to where it leaded to and the blonde was definitely concerned out of his wits but under no circumstances would he let his son jump into it alone.

No way in fucking hell! Where his son went, he would follow. So the young father did exactly that: he jumped into the portal.

X

When Minato regained consciousness – he couldn't for the life of him remember when he had lost it to begin with – he found himself in an unknown wooded area. Looking up he noted that the sky was dark but he didn't know if that was because it was nighttime or just early morning.

Glancing around he tried to locate his son but found him nowhere nearby though he still felt the Kyuubi's chakra active. Following the presence of malevolence he found the woods thinning out and finally give way to an open clearing ending with a cliff several meters away.

"_Shit!"_ Minato couldn't help the curse escaping him as he wearily took in the scene before him. Left from where he stood was his son in all his one-tailed glory all right, but what had him looking apprehensively was the young girl not three meters away on his right.

She had mahogany hair tied into a high ponytail and big chocolate colored eyes in which he could see the fear and confusion swimming. The girl had a small lithe form that was just beginning to develop clothed in khaki shorts and a black tank-top over which she wore a blue jacket with fur lining and flame motive. Circling her neck were a pair of goggles while her feet adorned closed-toes orange boots. Her posture was tense and the blonde spirit could detect the faintest tremble racking her body while she had her hands clenched into fists so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

A blue colored red-eyed creature that held a likeness to a dragon stood in front of the girl protectively.

He ignored his curiosity at the discovery over the little dragon in favor of the situation at hand. The dead Yondaime could see clear as day that his son was still agitated and was staring intently at the girl.

"Any clues as to who or what he is, Vee?" the young girl asked her companion softly causing the blonde's attention to shift from his son back to the girl and observe their interaction.

"Sorry Dai. All I know he's no digimon," The dragon – Vee? – answered.

"I've never felt anything like this. There's so much anger and hatred…" Dai trailed off and Minato noticed with surprise that her fear seemed to have lessened a little.

"…but he doesn't feel _evil_. Not like what we've felt from the bottom of the Dark Whirlpool…ya know what I mean?"

He felt absolutely incredulous at what he had just heard from the mahogany haired girl. She didn't feel that the chakra saturating the air which was filled with the Kyuubi's intent was evil?!

Minato shook his head; he needed to focus on what was happening. He could ponder the girl's statement at a later time.

"Yeah, but we still have to be careful. He looks really dangerous."

"I know. He's powerful no doubt. He's–" Dai cut herself off.

He watched as her eyes narrowed in concentration as she stared at his feral son intently, not knowing what she was looking for exactly. The young girl's eyes widened in surprise before horror filled them.

"Holy Azulongmon…what the heck?! He's a little boy!" she realized. "What happened to him?" she breathed heartbroken, her eyes becoming glassy as she suppressed the urge to cry.

At seeing the girl's devastated expression his eyes softened as he smiled a sad smile. That's right, his son was just a little boy and she had seen it when the villagers had not even though she didn't know him and was faced with Kyuubi's chakra cloak.

The mahogany haired girl closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were filled with fiery determination, much to Minato's surprise.

"We have to help him Vee," she decided. She was obviously still a little afraid but was pushing it away in order to help the boy.

"Of course," the dragon confirmed with a determined grin before faltering. "Uh…how?"

She blinked in surprise and the blonde took in her clueless expression, realizing with a sweat-drop that she didn't have a plan at all.

"Can you knock him out?" she requested.

"What do you want to do when he's knocked out?" the small dragon questioned confused and Minato was wondering the same.

"Haven't got a clue," she admitted sheepishly. "I'll think about it when it's happened. So, ready Veemon?"

"Ready when you are!" he grinned though he looked positively anxious, his companion mirroring his feelings exactly.

The blonde ghost watched in wonder as the girl took what looked to be a small square-shaped mechanical device out of her pocket and flipped it open. Her thumb pressed some buttons before she looked back up and he was surprised to see that there was no hesitation in her gaze. The lingering anxiousness she had felt only a moment ago was replaced with pure resolution and Minato could admit he was impressed by her. There was no fear showing anymore in either her expression or body language.

"Digi Armor Energize!"

"Veemon armor-digivolve to…"

Once the words were spoken the Yondaime saw the dragon's form glowing with a blue light as his body changed and grew bigger. When the light died down a four-legged blue and black colored creature stood in place where the little dragon was before. Spikes were protruding from his back while a gold-silver horn sat on his head, ruby red eyes shining in the early morning rays.

"…Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"

"Go Raidramon!" Dai cheered before donning a serious expression as her eyes followed Raidramon's movements.

It didn't take long for the duo to realize that Raidramon was at a disadvantage in this fight, as they found out the red chakra cloak was corroding upon contact. With this discovery the canine-like dragon was forced to depend on his long range attacks and seeing that his son didn't have that limitation, he had the upper hand.

Somehow during their battle the two combatants had found themselves the cliff dangerously close and it was a long way down.

In her worry for her companion and his son the mahogany haired girl jogged closer to the fight and Minato watched with worry for all three's sake.

When suddenly the earth gave way under his son's feet they were all startled before panic and fear set in.

"_NARUTO!"_ the blonde yelled as he watched his son fall and immediately went after him. He cursed his intangible existence as he could do nothing but be a silent companion in the boy's descent to the ground.

"**DAI!**"

Looking up Minato couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the girl jump off the cliff into a dive heading straight for his little boy. She had her arms opened for an embrace and as soon as she was level with the feral boy she encircled him into her arms, pressing him into her body before rolling them around so that she had her back against the nearing ground, obviously planning on taking the brunt for the child in her arms.

At the same time Dai had been maneuvering them in mid-air she had been crying out in sheer pain because the moment she came into contact with Kyuubi's corrosive chakra it was burning her. Tears escaped her closed eyes but even amidst the bombardment of physical pain she didn't let go.

On the contrary, Dai tightened the hold she had on Naruto and bit her bottom lip hard until she could taste the coppery tang of blood in her mouth. Her screams died down though she couldn't suppress the whimpers from escaping.

Even so Minato felt a deep sense of respect for her actions and looked at her with concern, his fists clenched tightly. He felt so damn helpless!

The ghost blinked his eyes before closing them when gold and white light threatened to blind him. After a few seconds the blonde felt the intensity of the light decrease and snapped his eyes open again, observing the light slowly recede back into the girl.

He also noted how the chakra-cloak surrounding his little boy was quickly dissolving into nothingness and while Dai's clothes were still torn from the damage they received, her wounds seemed to have disappeared much to his relief.

It was then that Minato noticed that something or someone was heading for them rapidly and found it to be a large muscled white and blue dragon with white wings and a silver X on his chest as well as a blade-like horn on his upper jaw.

"I've got you Dai," the dragon said as he caught both children, effectively stopping their descent.

"Vee! You reached your Champion level!" the mahogany haired girl grinned proudly.

"It's because of you I was able to reach this form Dai. I'm ExVeemon now," he explained.

Minato followed the dragon to the ground where ExVeemon gently set the children on their feet, Dai supporting the boy's weight as Naruto was unconscious. The dragon then reverted back into his previous form and helped his partner – the blonde could clearly see that was what they were – move the little kid from out of her arms onto her back.

Before she rose from the ground the girl ensured that she had a secure hold on him. She didn't want to risk the child falling off and possibly get injured.

"Let's head home," Dai announced, already heading towards their destination as Veemon and Minato fell into step with the young girl. It wasn't long before they came to a halt in front of a small TV box.

Looking closer the Yondaime saw it displayed a comfy looking room and easily noticed that blue seemed to be the predominant color.

The screen then started to glow and he quickly grabbed onto the girl's shoulder so as to not be left behind when he saw her and companions being sucked in.

When the computer screen spat them out in what he presumed to be the mahogany haired girl's room, Minato was able to lightly land on his feet.

Hearing groaning the blonde ghost turned around and chuckled in amusement at the sight that greeted him. Apparently the others hadn't been as successful in their landing, as was demonstrated by the small dogpile they found themselves in.

He also noted that Veemon had changed forms yet again and was smaller than before as well as cuter seeing that he looked to be a baby dragon.

Carefully detangling herself from the small boy Dai sat up, accidentally pushing her little dragon to the floor. She bit her lip to prevent a smile from forming when she saw the little swirls in his eyes before picking him up and laid him on her bed with a soft kiss to the forehead.

It was obvious to Minato that the girl dearly loved her partner and he was glad to see that his son landed into the company of good people. He watched as she went back to Naruto and picked him up from where he laid on the floor to gently place him on the bed as well.

There was a soft look in her chocolate colored gaze as she just looked at the small innocent looking child, really taking in his appearance for the first time.

He had a light tan so obviously he was in the outdoors often enough and looking closer she could see the lean muscles of someone who ran a lot. And while she knew he had to be really young, he just seemed so incredibly small that she couldn't help a light frown from tugging at her lips. She lifted a hand to his head and gently ran her fingers through his dirtied golden locks, playing with his hair for a little while and giggled softly when she heard the snores sounding from where she knew DemiVeemon was at.

Dai sighed and took her hand back, turning away and leaving her room.

Though curious to where she went, Minato decided to remain behind and just wait for her to come back while taking in the peaceful sleeping face of his son.

Light footsteps alerted him of the returning presence of the girl who held a bowl in one hand and a small towel in the other. As she placed the bowl carefully on the bedside table, so as to not wake up the sleeping and surely exhausted child, the ghost proceeded to look over her shoulder, watching as she dunked the towel into the water.

Squeezing the excess water out of the material, the mahogany haired girl gently began cleaning the dirt from the little blond, the places she could reach without stripping him anyway.

Meanwhile DemiVeemon had woken up and silently watched his partner tend to the small human child they had found. Upon seeing the absent look in the girl's eyes, the little In-Training digimon jumped on his partner's shoulder, startling her out of her reverie.

"What is it Dai? Is something bothering ya?"

Dai shook her head. "Nothing's bothering me per say, Vee."

The thoughtful look returned and the baby dragon tilted his head curiously. "Dai?"

"It's just, right before we went through the digi-port I could've sworn there was something touching my shoulder," she explained.

"You did?" DemiVeemon blinked, giving his human a confused look, "But there was nothing there?"

The thought that it could have been her imagination didn't even register in the small digimon's mind. If his partner said she felt something, then she felt something.

The DigiDestined shrugged lightly, having no clue herself. It bugged her that she didn't have an answer but she could live without it no problem.

The duo certainly didn't see the blond ghost staring at his hand with a pondering expression behind them, nor did they see the thoughtful look melt into a hopeful if not slight mischievous one, as he lifted a hand that came to rest on the petite girl's shoulder once more.

Dai's entire body stilled when the warm weight on her shoulder registered in her mind. Her breath hitched in a mix of anxiousness and anticipation as the mahogany haired girl slowly turned her head to search for the cause of it only to be met with empty air.

Minato carefully observed as her expression turned blank as she stared at her shoulder, unable to see the hand resting upon it. Not turning her attention away, the young girl questioned her partner. "Vee…what do you see?"

Scrunching his face cutely, the small dragon followed her gaze to her shoulder before turning back to her. "Uh, nothing," he answered her tentatively, worried.

She gave him a small nod. "I thought so."

Finally turning away from her shoulder, the mahogany haired girl let her blank mask slip away and send her partner a shaky grin, her face pale. "You think what I think?"

DemiVeemon shook and clutched at the girl, a comically spooked expression on his face.

"G-g-ghost!" the duo squeaked as one before promptly fainting; baby dragon and human girl both fell to the floor out cold.

The Yondaime's azure eyes widened in surprise, puzzled at what had just happened. Though when the surprise had subsided Minato's chest rumbled with the rich sounding chuckles that escaped him as his eyes shined with amusement. So the courageous girl could hold her ground against the Kyuubi's chakra cloak no problem but when faced with ghosts she fainted? He found it was an endearing trait.

The tall blond moved to sit comfortably on the floor cross-legged to where he had an unrestricted view of his still slumbering son and carefully guided the girl's head to rest on his lap. He couldn't help himself and started caressing the mahogany locks in what he intended to be a comforting gesture, though not only for her but himself as well.

It had been so long since he had been able to touch another being, let alone really interact with someone. It was a lonely existence, Minato thought as he watched her and his son, waiting for one of them to wake up.


End file.
